Help me & my Colombian g/f be together

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:27 pm

Hi am greatful for any information which will help us :-

I meet my Colombian girlfriend 8 years ago when she was studying English in England, she stayed her for 1 year then after a short spell back in her home country she went to Spain to study for her masters degree in marketing, during this time we spent as much time as possible together.
When she had to return to colombia I went out with her & liveed with her for 6 months..

We now want to be together & her live with me in the UK.. We are unsure what is the best way to go about it. Is it more easy to get married, & if so how long untill she can moved to the uk ?

I am a British citizan but at the moment hold an Irish passport (duel nationality) so who what embassy do we have to talk with.?

Thank you so much if you can help us, & provide us with any other information which will help us be together..

Many thanks !

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 4:55 pm

Marriage and EEA Family Permit - Free! Apart from the marriage of course!

Or fiancee visa or marry and spouse visa under UK rules - quicker citizenship and PR but not free, budget two grand.

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:39 pm

Wanderer wrote:Marriage and EEA Family Permit - Free! Apart from the marriage of course!

Or fiancee visa or marry and spouse visa under UK rules - quicker citizenship and PR but not free, budget two grand.

So the best & quickest way is to get married & get a spouse visa - uk rules. ( cost Â£2000 )

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:45 pm

This might help you: http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=22971

The only options other than marriage are student visa or work permit/Tier 1, if she is a very qualified person. If she can do further study (e.g. learn English or a professional course), then a student visa might be a good idea if you don't want to marry immediately.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:55 pm

reynt wrote:
Wanderer wrote:Marriage and EEA Family Permit - Free! Apart from the marriage of course!

Or fiancee visa or marry and spouse visa under UK rules - quicker citizenship and PR but not free, budget two grand.
So the best & quickest way is to get married & get a spouse visa - uk rules. ( cost Â£2000 )

Quickest way for her to get PR/Citizenship. For quickest for her to be in UK with u there's no real difference time-wise.

The two grand is over three years, 500 quid spouse visa now, 750 quid PR visa in two years, 700 quid citizenship visa one year after that.

Rereading she could apply for citizenship in two years cos she;s already has one here legally. So PR and Citizenship at the same time at 1450 quid.

Or spend five years on EEA FP all free. Advantage too cos she can travel EU-wide with u on that visa without schengen visa as u would need under UK rules.

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:58 pm

Thank you so much for this information...

If we got married in colombia how long until she could move to uk to be with me ?
Do i have to visit the British or Irish embassy in London for paperwork to fill out or wait until go to Bogota in the summer & sort it all out over there ??

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:00 pm

reynt wrote:Thank you so much for this information...

If we got married in colombia how long until she could move to uk to be with me ?
Do i have to visit the British or Irish embassy in London for paperwork to fill out or wait until go to Bogota in the summer & sort it all out over there ??

Application timelines vary by country. Sometimes it is less than a week, other times it can be a few months. Just ensure that you have provided all the information so that they don't contact you for more.

As for which embassy to visit - where are you going to live? You go to the embassy of the country you will live.

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:12 pm

Ok thts good news i thought it might take months & months..

We will live in London, so guess then we contact the British embassy even tho I have an Irish passport ? ( i was born & lived in london all my life)

Do i contact the embassy in London, or contact the embassy in Colombia once we get married ?? (will marry this year in colombia)

Do we have to applie for any information or fill forms out from the embassy before I get married..

This site is excellent, many thanks

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:27 pm

reynt wrote:Ok thts good news i thought it might take months & months..

We will live in London, so guess then we contact the British embassy even tho I have an Irish passport ? ( i was born & lived in london all my life)

Do i contact the embassy in London, or contact the embassy in Colombia once we get married ?? (will marry this year in colombia)

Do we have to applie for any information or fill forms out from the embassy before I get married..

This site is excellent, many thanks

Since you want to live in the UK, the Irish embassy would be of no use! So contact the British embassy in Colombia (as you will be applying from there). It doesn't matter what passport or nationality you hold.

Will you be applying for a spouse visa or an EEA family permit?

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:04 pm

I think we will applie for the EEA family permit, but will have to do some research into both to see which is better suited.

Should my g/f visit the embassy in Colombia as soon as possible to get application forms for the permit ?

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:47 pm

You should call the embassy in Colombia yourself. They will not give your girlfriend the time of day and will be more helpful to a Irish/UK citizen.

yankeegirl · Post by **yankeegirl** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:17 pm

http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servle ... 8377173754

There's the link for you that explains the UK visa application process from Columbia.

The application (either UK spousal visa or the family permit) is made online. Have a read through the embassy website, you should get a good idea of what will need to be done.

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:00 am

Reading the applications we could applie for the EEA family permit, as I hold an Irish passport or the UK spouse visa as i was born in the UK..

Is there a preference or one which is better to go for !!

Also on the application form under settelment it asks :-

Evidence of who owns or rents the house you will live in, in the UK

What kind of evidence are they after ?

yankeegirl · Post by **yankeegirl** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:47 am

Is there a preference or one which is better to go for !!

There are pros and cons to each.

UK route: Apply for spouse visa, which is valid for 2 years. Cost is Â£500. Visa holder should enter the UK within 28 days of the visa start date. Visa holder is unable to access public funds during this two-year period (though things like tax credits can be applied for jointly). Before visa expiry, take and pass the Life in the UK test. Within 28 days of visa expiry, apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). Cost is Â£750 if applied for by post, Â£950 if applied for in person. British citizenship can be applied for after ILR is granted and the person has lived in the UK for at least 3 years.

EU route: Apply for family permit, which is valid for 6 months. All EU applications are free of charge. Once in the UK, apply for Residence card which is valid for 5 years. This application can only be made by post, and can take up to 6 months to process. The non-EU spouse CAN work while waiting to receive the residence card. After 5 years, spouse can apply for Permanent residence. The Life in the UK test is not required for permanent residence but will be required of the spouse wishes to apply for citizenship. British citizenship cannot be applied for until PR is granted.

It depends on personal circumstances as to which route is "better". For some, Â£ is a real issue, so the EU route might seem more logical. However, for others, the quickest route to citizenship is an important factor, which would make the UK route a better choice.

Evidence of who owns or rents the house you will live in, in the UK

What kind of evidence are they after

If renting, a lease/rental agreement, along with something in writing stating it will be ok for the spouse to also live there. If the accommodation is owned, then mortgage papers.

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:02 am

Ahhhh ok I think we will go for the Uk spouse visa which is application form VAF4, Under this visa can she get a national insurance number & work as a non EU spouse ?

Also at the moment I have been flat sharing for last two years with a friend, obviously when wife to be comes over we will get our own place, now the question is will I need to have this all sorted before she comes or could we put on our application that we will be staying at our parents for a month while we look. ( they have there own home with no mortage)

yankeegirl · Post by **yankeegirl** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:14 am

Ahhhh ok I think we will go for the Uk spouse visa which is application form VAF4, Under this visa can she get a national insurance number & work as a non EU spouse

She can work with either one.

Also at the moment I have been flat sharing for last two years with a friend, obviously when wife to be comes over we will get our own place, now the question is will I need to have this all sorted before she comes or could we put on our application that we will be staying at our parents for a month while we look. ( they have there own home with no mortage)

Either one would be ok. If staying with your parents, you'll have to prove that they own the home, and it would also be a good idea to write up a budget showing that you will pay your parents reasonable rent, since third party support is no longer allowed.

reynt · Post by **reynt** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:49 pm

Will it be acceptable if I put my parents house now as temporary accommondation until the visa is given then once in the UK we can start looking at sutible flat to rent.. I can show previous two years bank statments proving I earn sufficent money to support us both without any help.

Or after the wedding in August I will return to the UK find a flat & get a leeter of agrement from the landlord saying its ok for her to join me & all above board. Then fax or scan this over so she can applie for the application as soon as she receives the letter. Hopefully if no problems she will join me two months later

Also if I put my parents house on the application will there be inspectors coming around to check the size & condition of the property

Thanks if you can help

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Help me & my Colombian g/f be together

Help me & my Colombian g/f be together